Thursday 28 July 2016

Media Quotes of the Week: From fears over media crackdown in Turkey to can you remember when regional newspaper editors were demi-gods?



International Federation of Journalists' president Philippe Leruth on Turkey: “Since the failed coup we have had to react even more against the media crackdown in Turkey. The new arrest warrants are aimed, one more time at targeting journalists who are simply doing their jobs, and they do this criminalizing the journalistic work. The Turkish people who went on to the streets on 24 July were showing their attachment to democratic values. Through their attachment to authorities elected by votes Press freedom is an essential component of democracy. And clearly, it is even more at stake today.”


Committee to Protect Journalists' executive director Joel Simon in the Columbia Journalism Review: "The failed coup reaffirmed in the minds of Erdoğan and his supporters the relationship between information and power and drove home the importance of government control. While the internet and the remnants of independent media may have helped Erdoğan survive the coup attempt, now that he is firmly back in control and Constitutional protections suspended, the media operates at his mercy. The framework for future repression is simple: For Erdoğan, information is a weapon. He will never again allow it to be used against him."


CN editorial director David Heliwell on the decision to close its new newspaper for the north 24 after a month, as quoted by Press Gazette: “We were proud of the design and content and had encouraging feedback and buy-in from advertisers but unfortunately copy sales are just not high enough to justify continuing daily publication. It was always a calculated risk to see whether there was enough of a gap for us to squeeze into beside the big beasts of the daily market and it hasn’t come off."


Donald Trump speaking at a press conference: "I’ve always said, ‘Why didn’t the National Enquirer get the Pulitzer surprise for Edwards? And OJ Simpson? And all of these things?”


Richard Littlejohn in the Daily Mail"Ephraim Hardcastle is touting Piers Morgan as Press secretary to a possible President Donald Trump. And why not? Shy and retiring Piers is hugely popular in Republican circles because of his principled stand on gun control and would be an ideal mouthpiece for the self-effacing Trump."


Gideon Spanier in Campaign: "The Guardian is scaling back its media coverage in print and is to use automation to upload and lay out some stories on its website in a bid to slash costs. The newspaper confirmed it will halve its weekly media coverage in print from two pages to one. Insiders also expect the website will carry less media coverage, although the publisher insisted that won't be the case."


Decca Aitkenhead interviewing Len McCluskey for the Guardian: "He poses behind one of several chess sets in his office, and toys with the pieces. 'Now this is getting interesting,' he murmurs playfully. 'Hmm, who is going to be the king? Which one’s Jeremy Corbyn, and which one’s us? Angela Eagle,' he smirks, 'she was just a pawn.' His press officer rolls her eyes in despair, and groans. 'Oh God, this is every trope in the powerplay book. We might as well put a white cat in his lap'."


Sports news PRquoted by DigidayUK: "What really bothers me about today’s journalists is the knee-jerk decisions rooted in the number of clicks a story may/may not receive. While there are understandably pressures to reach the largest audiences, this mindset forces a lot of PR people to rethink what they share with journalists. Ultimately, it’s why many brands are turning to their own platforms to tell their own stories. Why risk a damaging narrative caused by a salacious headline created for the express purpose of reaching the masses?” 


Carl Bernstein‏ @carlbernstein joins Twitter: "Hello, Twitter. After all this time, finally surrendering to being less wordy. Looking forward."


Alastair Campbell ‏@campbellclaret  on Twitter: "Corbyn office on 'did you take 20k from Press TV. 'we don't comment on historical matters.' What? He does little else."


Jennifer Williams in the Manchester Evening News on Jeremy Corbyn's leadership campaign launch in Salford: "The mention of Tony Blair drew boos and hisses. The mention of the miners' strike, an event firmly entrenched in rose-tinted Labour mythology, drew an ovation. The mention of the Guardian, when he said it couldn't tell working class people what to think, drew massive applause too."


Peter Sands in InPublishing"When I became a regional newspaper editor 26 years ago, I joined a band of demi-gods. They were men (yes, all men) such as Alex Leys, Sean Dooley, Mike Lowe, Allan Prosser, Barrie Williams and Graeme Stanton who prowled the industry with colossal self-belief. They answered to almost no-one except their readers and they often terrorised the management, lesser beings from accounts and sales. 'You are just a van driver in a suit,' is how I recall one exchange with an MD."

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